Creighton University is meeting a crippling need for Native American dentists in the U.S. and addressing a persistent health disparity head on by actively recruiting Native American students to its dental school.
There are more than 4.5 million Native Americans in the U.S. but fewer than 150 Native American dentists to serve this population. In spring 2008, Creighton and two other universities, Marquette and Gonzaga, received a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Dental Pipeline program to assist with recruiting Native American students into the nation's dentistry profession.
As a result, Creighton's School of Dentistry has enrolled four first-year Native American students this year, and four have already been accepted for next year. With only 30 Native American dental students enrolled in 56 dental schools in the U.S., Creighton's dental program has the highest number of first-year Native American students enrolled in the nation.
"The key to providing better access to dental care in underserved populations is to recruit students from the communities themselves," said Frank Ayers, D.D.S., associate dean for student affairs and director of admissions, in a university press release. "If a student has a strong tribal affiliation when they enter a profession, they are much more likely to return to the reservations to provide healthcare to their people."
According to Dr. Ayers, Creighton's program offers Native American college and high school students an opportunity to attend a month-long summer enrichment program that exposes them to a career in dentistry. Creighton also expanded its predental, postbaccalaureate program for disadvantaged students to include three Native American students each year. After completing the 13-month program, these students enter dental school. Both efforts provide scholarship money to boost enrollment.
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